Louis joseph tirard



(No Model.)

L. J. TIRARD. FIRE SIGNALING 0R ALARM MECHANISM. I N0.'504,002. PatentedAug. 29, 1893.

- vice.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS JOSEPH TIRARD, OF CAEN, FRANCE.

FIRE SIGNALING OR ALARM MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 504,002, dated August29, 1893.

Application filed June 24. 1893. Serial No. 478,764. (No model.)Patented in France November 22, 1892, No. 225,739-

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS J osnrn TIRARD,

a citizen of the French Republic, residing at Oaen, France, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire Signaling or AlarmMechanism, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in France, datedNovember 22, 1892, No. 225,7 39,) of which the following is adescription.

My invention has relation to automatic fire signaling devices, and amongthe objects in v ew 1s to provide devices for automatically giving asignal when the temperature in a room exceeds the normal as when causedby a fire occurring in said room or immediate proximity.

A further object is to provide an alarm or signal device which isextremely simple and lnexpensive in construction, and efficient in itsoperation, and with the above objects in view, the invention consists inthe novel construct1on, arrangement and combination of parts ashereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawingsand pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawingsz-Figure l is a side elevation of a portion of mysignaling or alarm de- Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is avertical sectional elevation of the remaining parts of my device. Fig. 4is a vertical sectional elevation of the compensator, taken at rightangles to Fig. 3.

A indicates an arm or lever which is pivoted at one end upon a pivotstud or short shaft 13 and provided at its opposite end with a weight A.Said arm or lever is also provided with cross arms 0 and D, the latterbeing provided with aligned openings in which are mounted the tubularportions of thermometers E and F, the bulbs of which rest upon asuitable support G which is secured by a nut I to an arm H projectingfrom the base board B which may be secured to a wall of a room by screwsa and b. Thus, by the described arrangement of parts, the arm A is heldin its normal or elevated position indicated in Fig. 1, in full lines,by reason of the bulbs of the thermometers having a bearing upon thesupport G. I

In constructing the thermometers E and F for use with my device I makethe bulbs thereof much thinner than the tubular portions, for a purposepresently apparent.

N indicates a glass or other frangible tube which is arranged above theshaft B and is secured to arms M M which may be suitably secured to thebase 13.

Integral with and forming part of the arm A in rear of the pivot shaft Bis a hook J which when the arm swings downwardly into a verticalposition will strike against and break the tube N.

K indicates a tube which leads at one end into the box or chamber Lcarried by the shaft B, and said tube K leads off to a room which may belocated at a greater or less distance from the room in which the partsabove described are located. The opposite end of the tube K is bent intosiphon-like form as seen in Fig. 3, and terminates within atube 0 havingenlarged portions or bulbs o c, the lower end of which tube 0 liesadjacent to the bottom of a vessel or receiver T which latter should inpractice he carried by a counterweighted arm or lever (not shown) sopivoted and arranged as to operate or set in motion a suitable alarmmechanism or device. The vertical portion t', of tube K passes throughthe vessel T and tube 0 as shown and in said tube is placed a quantityof a non-freezing liquid such as glycerine.

When constructing the thermometers the same may be made to indicate anydesired temperature before being sealed; I prefer to so construct saidthermometers that the same will be adapted to indicate only up to atemperature say 40 centigrade (a temperature which is seldom exceededexcept in the case of an abnormal heating of the air as by a fire forinstance), the said thermometers being then sealed after saidtemperature has been reached.

In operation, should the temperature of the air in the room containingmy device exceed 40 centigrade an expansion of the liquid in. thethermometer tubes occurs until a temperature of say 45 centigrade isreached when the bulbs of said thermometers will break by reason oftheir thin walls and the arm A will drop to the position indicated indottedlines, and the hook J will strike against the tube N and break it,thus permitting heated air to enter the tube K which will thus beadmitted through the opposite end of the tube into the chamber 0, and byits pressure cause the liquid in tube 0 to be forced into the vessel Tand when the weight of the liquid entering said vessel exceeds thecounterweight on the lever carrying it the said lever and vessel willtilt and cause said lever to actuate any suitable alarm mechanism ordevice, whereby an indication will be given of the existence of the firein the room containing the arm A and connected parts of my device.

In order to avoid a false alarm being given I employ in conjunction withthe remaining parts of my device what I term a compensator, the samecomprising vessels Pand S communicating by means of the tube Q, thewhole being arranged in a suitable casing P. A siphon-like pipe Vcommunicates with the interior of the vessel P and passes through thetube Q and up through vessel S, and the opposite end communicating withthe pipe K. \Vithin the vessel P and tube Q is placed a quantity ofliquid R such as glycerine.

Where a great length of tubing K is employed and the temperature of theouter air should vary, say from 10 centigrade to 40 centigrade theexpansion of the air contained in tubing K would result in the liquidbeing caused to escape from pipe 0 into vessel T and thus give a falsealarm. But by reason of the provision of the vessel P communicating withthe tubing K an expansion of air in the latter would cause at least aportion of such air to be admitted into vessel P and allow only a smallproportion of such air to act upon the liquid in tube 0 and thereforeonly a slight escape of such liquid would result not sufficient toeffect the tilting of the vessel T and the sounding of the alarm, thenearly complete emptying of tube 0 being necessary for the operation ofthe alarm.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an alarm mechanism of the class described, the combination with avessel adapted to receive a liquid, a tube communicating therewith andadapted to contain a liquid to be discharged into said vessel, a secondtube communicating at one end with the first-mentioned tube and havingits opposite end closed, of a pivoted arm or lever arranged in proximityto the closed end of the tube and adapted to be normally supported in anelevated position and to be automatically released from its support whenthe temperature exceeds a predetermined degree said arm or lever beingadapted when so released to place the closed end of the described secondtube in communication with the outer air, for the purpose specified.

2. In an alarm mechanism of the class described, the combination with avessel adapted to receive a liquid, a tube communicating therewith andadapted to contain a liquid to be discharged into said vessel, a secondtube communicating at one end with the first-mentioned tube and havingits opposite end closed, of a pivoted arm or lever, a thermometercarried thereby, a support upon which one end of the thermometer restswhereby to support the arm normally in an elevated position, saidthermometer being adapted to be broken when the temperature of the airexceeds a predetermined degree, and allow the arm to fall, and means forplacing the closed end of the said second tube in communication with theouter air when the arm or lever falls, for the purpose specified.

3. In an alarm mechanism of the class described the combination withavessel adapted to receive a liquid, a tube communicating therewith andadapted to contain a liquid to be discharged into said vessel, and asecond tube communicating at one end with the first mentioned tube, anda frangible tube communicating with the opposite end of said secondtube, of a pivoted arm or lever adapted to be normally supported in anelevated position and to be automatically released from its support whenthe temperature exceeds a predetermined degree, and a hook carried bythe arm and adapted to strike against and break the said frangible tubewhen the arm or lever falls, for the purpose specified.

4. In an alarm mechanism of the class described, the combination with avessel adapted to receive a liquid, a tube communicating therewith andadapted to contain a liquid to be discharged into said vessel, a secondtube communicating at one end with the first-mentioned tube a frangibletube communicating with the opposite end of said second tube, of apivoted arm or lever, a thermometer carried thereby, a support uponwhich one end of the thermometer rests whereby to support the armnormally in an elevated position, said thermometer being adapted to bebroken when the temperature of the air exceeds a predetermined degree,and allow the arm to fall, and a hook carried by the arm and adapted tostrike against and break the said frangible tube when the arm or leverfalls, for the purpose specified.

5. In an alarm mechanism of the class described, the combination with avessel adapted to receive a liquid, a tube communicating therewith andadapted to contain a liquid to be discharged into said vessel, a secondtube communicating at one end with the first-mentioned tube and havingits opposite end closed, of a pivoted arm or lever arranged in proximityto the closed end of the tube and adapted to be normally supported in anelevated position and to be automatically released from its support whenthe temperature exceeds a predetermined degree, said arm or lever beingadapted when so released to place the closed end of the described secondtubein communication with the outer air, and a compensator comprisingsuperposed vessels communicating with each other, and a pipecommunicating with the upper vessel at one end and with the said secondtube at its opposite end, for the purpose specified.

6. In an alarm mechanism of the class described, the combination of abase adapted to be secured to a Wall, an arm or lever pivoted at one endto said base, a thermometer carried by said lever at its opposite end, asupport upon which one end of said thermometer rests, said end of thethermometer being more frangible than the remaining portion thereof, afrangible tube arranged adjacent to the arm or lever, a main air tubecommunicating with said frangible tube, a vessel adapted to receive aliquid, a tube adapted to contain a have hereunto set my hand this 20thday of May, 1893.

LOUIS JOSEPH TIRARD. Witnesses:

VICTOR MATRAY,

Josnrn SALING.

